Knowledge and Reality
Course dates: Tuesday 06 October - Tuesday 15 December 2026
Class timetable: 10 sessions (View class timetable for Tuesday 06 October 2026 to Tuesday 15 December 2026)
Timetable data for Tuesday 06 October 2026 to Tuesday 15 December 2026
| Day of class | Date of class | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | 06-Oct-2026 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Tuesday | 13-Oct-2026 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Tuesday | 20-Oct-2026 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Tuesday | 27-Oct-2026 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Tuesday | 03-Nov-2026 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Tuesday | 17-Nov-2026 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Tuesday | 24-Nov-2026 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Tuesday | 01-Dec-2026 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Tuesday | 08-Dec-2026 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Tuesday | 15-Dec-2026 | 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
Location: Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Fees: £1810.00
RegisterCourse Overview
Our Knowledge and Reality short course provides you with a foundation in epistemology and metaphysics as you consider the nature of the world around us, our place in that world and what we know about both.
Join us as we address a number of questions such as: How do we know that the external world really exists, when we cannot step outside our own perceptions to find out? Is experience a reliable source of knowledge? What other sources of knowledge are there? Does God exist? Is faith bound by the normal standards of rationality? What does it mean to be a person, and what makes someone the same person over time? What is the relationship between the self, the mind and the body? What is the nature of causation, or of time? How do we decide if something exists? If everything in the universe is determined by scientific laws, how can we have free will? How do social categories like race bear on our identities?
In this course you will be introduced to classic and contemporary answers to these questions and philosophical techniques typically used for dealing with them. We will cover:
- scepticism
- induction
- faith and rationality
- sources of knowledge
- the existence of God
- mind and body
- time
- causation
- free will and determinism
- personal identity
- social categories like race or gender.
Assessment is via a 1000-word writing assignment (50%) and 1000-word examination (50%).
As a student on this course, you will study alongside Birkbeck students enrolled on one of our undergraduate or postgraduate courses, giving you the opportunity to network with a range of Birkbeck current students whilst you learn.
This can be taken as a standalone short course or as part of:
Fees
Students are charged a tuition fee for each short course on registering. Please view details for this course, including dates, location and fees at the top of this page. Short course fees may be subject to annual inflationary increases. For more information, please see our Fees Policy.
Birkbeck's Lifelong Learning Guarantee
If you've studied at Birkbeck before and successfully completed an award with us, take advantage of our Lifelong Learning Guarantee to gain a reduction on the tuition fee of this course.
Entry Requirements
Most of our short courses have no formal entry requirements and are open to all students.
This short course has no prerequisites.
As part of the registration process, you may be required to submit a copy of a suitable form of ID.
International students who wish to come to the UK to study a short course can apply for a Visitor visa. Please note that it is not possible to obtain a Student visa to study a short course.
How to Register
You register directly onto the classes you would like to take. Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis - so register early.
If you want to take more than one short course, you can select each one separately and then register onto them together via our online application portal. There is usually no formal selection process, although some modules may have prerequisites and/or other requirements, which will be specified where relevant.